Devastating Impact
by Blithe Thorne
Summary: When Korra, Bolin and Mako meet up to get updated on each others lives after a few months, Korra sees that not everything is peaceful again. Those still strong to the 'cause' pose a threat that leaves her trapped in the pain of possibly losing the love of her life, forever. Makorra. Rated for Language


Title: Devastating Impact

Pairing: Makorra

Rating: T – Language

Summary: Prompt- "Damage" for Makorra week. There are many different forms of damage, so I decided to focus on the physical damage that leads to emotional damage. Korra is devastated when presented with the option of losing the love of her life, forever.

No one saw it coming.

Korra, Bolin and Mako were sparing in the gym while the three had a break from their duties. It was like old times when they were training for their next pro-bending match. They were laughing and knocking each other over; Bolin even went so far as to knock Korra into Mako, prompting them to kiss as they laughed, and eventually they gave in to Bolin's constant whines and kissed. Their lips met gently, hers soft and his rough from Korra's little bites at them. Mako broke it off before he received another one of the little love bites, leaving the girl pouting. Bolin chuckled and helped them up.

"I'm hungry, let's go get some food," Bolin ordered. Korra rolled her eyes and took Mako's hand. The three of them walked out, talking and updating one another on how things had been, and before they knew it, it had grown dark and even the streetlamps seemed to struggle to illuminate the streets. The trio didn't realize how many enemies they had made through their choices. Before it could be stopped, Mako was yanked back by his scarf. His assailant used Mako's prized possession to choke the firebender as he placed one of the many unaccounted for equalist weapons to Mako's side. The blade shocked him slightly, eliciting a cry. Korra turned and glared at the masked equalist.

"I thought we got rid of you all, your leader was nothing but a sham!" She growled. Bolin got a rock ready to throw and Korra took a fighting stance. The masked man laughed and dug the tip of his knife into Mako's side roughly, making the boy wince. He wanted to use his bending to attack the man, but that would risk his scarf getting burned. As much as he hated it, he'd let Korra deal with this one.

"He was a sham, yes, but the cause was not. You have no idea how much us non-benders wish we could be as powerful as you filthy benders. We're practically powerless were it not for this donation of weapons. Now all we need is to get rid of the leader of the benders, and the best way to do that is through your little boy toy."

No one saw it coming. Without even asking for a negotiation, the man's electrified blade cut a gash into Mako's side. He threw the boy over the side of the pier into the water and ran. Bolin hurled a rock at him as Korra screamed out and looked over the side. She dove into the water and looked around the dark depths as best she could to find Mako, but her fingertips didn't meet with another body. She went to the surface in a panic and threw out a flame that illuminated a small range around her, but she couldn't see him anywhere. She dove down to the bottom and searched, but Mako was nowhere to be found. Eventually her anger swelled and the avatar state took her over, and that was the last she remembered.

He told her the chances weren't good.

Korra woke to a horrible-looking Bolin. He had clearly stayed up all night, and when he saw she was awake, she knew he had been crying. Korra went over what she remembered and sat bolt upright in her bed.

"Where's Mako?" She asked. Bolin's eyes filled with tears and he shook his head.

"You couldn't find him, and neither could anyone else. He…he never surfaced… we just…" Bolin held up Mako's damp scarf. Bolin had been wringing it out and clutching it all night to the point where it was nearly dry. Korra took one end of the scarf and shook. Tears welled at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them spill over.

"Why'd he run? He could have bargained Mako for me, then…" Korra got up and headed for the door.

"He was being chased…where are you going?" Bolin asked. When Korra walked out without answering, he wiped his eyes and ran after her. Korra headed to the docks and the shores, she walked the pier and the beach, but found no sign of Mako. She screamed angrily and kicked the sand. Her fists clenched and her arms shook with the anger of not finding him and the sorrow of losing her love. She blamed herself for not grabbing him before he went over the side. She blamed herself for not taking care of that equalists right away, and she blamed herself most for not being able to find the man who was dearest to her, but the only blood family left to her best friend. She looked at Bolin who had been trailing behind her the whole time, half there and half gone in his mind. Korra took his arm and hugged him tightly.

The earthbenders arms wrapped around her and shook. They both needed the comfort because they both had the same fear. She returned them to Air Temple island where they were approached by Tenzin.

"I hate to say this, but he hasn't been seen in town nor washed up anywhere…the chances that he's alive are slim. He had both the water and the wound against him…I'm sorry Korra, Bolin." He put his hand out to touch Korra's shoulder, but she stepped back. Bolin's head hung and he just sat where he was, not wanting to face the truth. Korra shook her head.

He told her the chances weren't good, but that didn't mean it was impossible for him to still be alive out there. She bit her lip and let the tears she had been holding back for Bolin loose. They flowed down her cheeks and dropped onto the ground in front of her, making the dirt into mud.

"No, I won't accept that. The chances may not be good, but that doesn't mean he's out there struggling to get out of the water, or waiting for me to find him! And I will find him, I love him and I will not let him go just like that! I won't let him go because the chances aren't good! I'm going back out there and I'm going to find him and bring him back and I will nurse him back to health if I have to, because that's what someone does when they love the person!" Korra yelled. She turned and ran off, diving into the water when she was close enough.

Bolin looked at the fallen tears that had been gathering in his hands as they spilled over from the water that gathered in his eyes. He threw the tears to the side and got up. With a stumble, he followed Korra until there was no more ground to walk on. He stood on the end of the dock and waited for his friend and brother to come back to him.

She spotted him a mile off.

Korra swam the bay and slowly made her way over every inch of it. With each area explored with no results, she felt her heart ache. The crack that had been made when she had seen blood spill from Mako's side was slowly being pried open until eventually it broke completely and she found herself hugging a buoy and sobbing. She knew she had lost the man she had loved for so long; she could even remember the joy when he had said he loved her first. All she felt was pain and a vast emptiness where he would have been. She felt damaged and broken, never to be whole again.

Korra finally detached herself from the buoy and continued swimming, half-heartedly looking for Mako now. Finally when she was a ways off from a small island, she stopped swimming and strained her eyes to look closely at it. She could barely believe it, but she saw a figure on the island.

She spotted him a mile off, lying face-down in the sand. With all her strength, she used her bending to bring her to the island quicker. She silently begged that he was still alive. When Korra was close enough, she cried out to him and ran through the water towards the body.

"MAKO!" She screamed and collapsed next to him. She pulled him onto her lap and put her ear to his chest quickly. She growled at the amount of clothing he wore and instead put her ear to his mouth.

She listened closely.

She begged her heart to quiet down so she could hear.

Her lip quivered as she waited.

Tears mixed with the water that dripped off her body on the coat of the firebender.

Korra sobbed.

Korra sobbed in relief that she could hear a ragged breathing escape the lips of her love. She ripped his coat and shirt off and put her ear to his bare chest an sobbed again, hearing the faint heartbeat of the heart that she knew belonged to her. She drew water from her pouch she had been carrying since she left and went to work on the cut that was bleeding slower than it had when it had been made and healed it the best she could. Korra pulled Mako's head onto her lap and put her forehead to his. She didn't care that her tears rolled off her cheeks and onto his closed eyelids. She didn't care that the sun was slowly starting to set. All she cared about was that she had found him and her damaged heart had been mended.

After an hour had passed, she gently picked the unconscious man up and hurried him back to Air Temple island where he could get better healing. She had stopped crying half way there, but her tears returned to her as she saw Bolin standing on the end of the dock, waiting. She sobbed and waved quickly, letting a smile spread across her face as she got closer, and Bolin collapsed onto his knees and gave a cry of joy that his brother was alive. He took Mako from her when she got to land and held him close to him as he brought him to his room.

They were told he would be fine with rest.

Korra and Bolin stayed by his bedside, never leaving save for the few times they absolutely had to. When Mako finally woke up, Bolin threw himself onto his brother, hugging him tightly and babbling about how he thought he had lost his brother. Mako struggled, but patted Bolin's back affectionately. Eventually, Bolin left to go eat leaving Mako and Korra alone. Korra's eyes slowly filled with tears until she could hold herself back any longer. She hugged Mako tightly and he hugged her back, cooing calming and loving words into her ear,

"I'm ok, it's ok Korra," He said with a sheepish grin. She sat up and punched him in the arm. He gasped and looked at her confused.

"I thought I lost you. I felt my heart break while I looked for you. I had myself convinced it would just be me and Bolin left alone to mourn your loss, damnit! Don't you ever fucking do that again, Mako!" She sobbed. Mako pulled her into another hug and chuckled.

"Ok, ok. I promise I'll try my best." He murmured. Korra sat up and wiped her eyes. She smiled down at the handsome face. She stared into his amber eyes and her clear blue ones stared back. Korra shook her head, breaking the loving stare and pulled his scarf out from his folded spot by his head. She sat him up gently and wrapped it around his neck the way he liked it and laid him back down. He smiled and smelled the fabric before thanking Korra. She ran her hand over the soft material and looked back at him.

"I love you…and it hurt so bad when I thought you'd left me…that I'd let you down and screwed up so bad…"

"You didn't let me down. You found me, and I'm still here with you, all yours forever," Mako replied quickly. He smiled when her familiar smile spread across her face. He put a hand on her cheek and wiped away the last tear that slipped from her eye. Bolin smiled at the couple from the doorway.

"Just kiss already, I'm still hungry," He said. The two looked at him and chuckled before granting his request. Mako kissed Korra gently and even let it go long enough for her to give him her signature love bites.

_Fin_.


End file.
